On last night's episode of The Real Housewives of New Jersey, Caroline Manzo's daughter Lauren continued her ongoing struggle with her weight. After trying to lose weight using different diets (including the Perricone diet), Lauren is getting some criticism about her decision to have lap band surgery, helping her lose 30 pounds.

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"A lot of people are telling me I took the easy way out, which I didn't because I struggle every day still with the lap band," Lauren said in an interview with Celebuzz. "People tell me that I am lazy, but I am not lazy at all -- I am in the gym every morning from 6:30 to 8:30 a.m."

Her mother Caroline has also been criticized for the way she's handled Lauren's weight problem, even telling her daughter that she was "eight pounds of sausage in a five pound bag." Lauren admits at times it was hard for her to believe her family was being supportive.

"I think a lot of it was in my head that they weren't [supportive]," Lauren said. "I thought they were calling me fat even if they weren't."

But she does defend her mother's harsh words.

"What [critics] don't understand is that if my mom weren't as blunt with me as she has been, that I wouldn't be where I am right now," Lauren told The Insider. "I'd probably be 100 pounds heavier and I wouldn't be as strong as I am today. What they don't see is that she tells me that I'm beautiful all the time, she tells me she loves me all the time."

Caroline explains that Lauren's decision to get the surgery came at her and her husband's (who has also had the lap band procedure) urging after Lauren suffered depression, several anxiety attacks and high blood pressure that put her in the hospital.

"Lauren went and had the surgery this past September AFTER we finished filming for the season," Caroline wrote on her Bravo blog. "She lost 20 pounds over seven months and decided that she wanted to loosen the band and try to lose the rest through diet and exercise. She did so in May and has lost another 10 pounds. Lauren has finally learned to love herself, and we couldn't be happier. We finally got our little girl back."

Lauren says she continues to struggle as she strives to reach her goal weight.

"I eat a lot of protein and vegetables," she told Celebuzz. "No salt, no sugar, no carbs and no fat. It really is not easy. If I take a big bite of anything--doesn't matter what it is--I will probably end up throwing it up."

What do you think? Did Lauren take the easy way out by getting the lap band surgery?